Lived Stories

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Lived Stories are the carefully selected memories of an early woman diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). On the surface, this is a collection of episodes experienced in various parts of the world during the author's years as a diplomat. At a deeper level, they are carefully chosen stories that highlight social and political events that touch upon pressing issues of our time: majoritarianism; religious and ethnic prejudices; and the crisis of democracy. Also included is the story of the first successful case of extradition in this country, that of Abu Salem, and the issue of gender discrimination, which led to an upheaval in the IFS in 1979 and remains relevant today. Through events she witnessed during her postings, the author discusses how notions of 'nationalism' and 'patriotism' were tested when the Soviet Union broke into fourteen new nations and Yugoslavia into six, all in the name of nationalism.